Social supply harvest mechanic for interactive social games

ABSTRACT

A supply harvest mechanic with a social fulfillment component for online social games.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to games and applications ingeneral and, in particular embodiments, to computer-implemented, onlinesocial games.

BACKGROUND

In many games, there is a virtual world or some other imagined playingspace where a player/user of the game controls one or more playercharacters (herein “character,” “player character,” or “PC”). Playercharacters can be considered in-game representations of the controllingplayer. As used herein, the terms “player,” “user,” “entity,” and“friend” may refer to the in-game player character controlled by thatplayer, user, entity, or friend, unless context suggests otherwise. Thegame display can display a representation of the player character. Agame engine accepts inputs from the player, determines player characteractions, decides outcomes of events and presents the player with a gamedisplay illuminating what happened. In some games, there are multipleplayers, wherein each player controls one or more player characters.

In many computer games, there are various types of in-game assets (aka“rewards” or “loot”) that a player character can obtain within the game.For example, a player character may acquire game points, gold coins,experience points, character levels, character attributes, virtual cash,game keys, or other in-game items of value. In many computer games,there are also various types of in-game obstacles that a player mustovercome to advance within the game. In-game obstacles can includetasks, puzzles, opponents, levels, gates, actions, etc. In some games, agoal of the game may be to acquire certain in-game assets, which canthen be used to complete in-game tasks or to overcome certain in-gameobstacles. For example, a player may be able to acquire a virtual key(i.e., the in-game asset) that can then be used to open a virtual door(i.e., the in-game obstacle).

An electronic social networking system typically operates with one ormore social networking servers providing interaction between users suchthat a user can specify other users of the social networking system as“friends.” A collection of users and the “friend” connections betweenusers can form a social graph that can be traversed to find second,third and more remote connections between users, much like a graph ofnodes connected by edges can be traversed.

Many online computer games are operated on an online social network.Such a network allows both users and other parties to interact with thecomputer games directly, whether to play the games or to retrieve game-or user-related information. Internet users may maintain one or moreaccounts with various service providers, including, for example, onlinegame networking systems and online social networking systems. Onlinesystems can typically be accessed using browser clients (e.g., Firefox,Chrome, Internet Explorer).

In many computer games, there are various types of in-game actions thata player character can make within the game. For example, a playercharacter in an online role-playing game may be able to interact withother player characters, build a virtual house, attack enemies, go on aquest, go to a virtual store to buy/sell virtual items, etc. A playercharacter in an online poker game may be able to play at specifictables, place bets of virtual currency for certain amounts, play or foldcertain hands, play in a online poker tournament, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system for implementing particulardisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example social network.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a game interface for an online game.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an example process flow. illustratesan example of a game interface for an online game.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example process flow.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a game interface for an online game.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a game interface for an online game.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example data flow in a system.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example network environment.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example computer system architecture.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system for implementing variousdisclosed embodiments. In particular embodiments, system 100 comprisesplayer 101, social network system 120 a, game networking system 120 b,client system 130, and network 160. The components of system 100 can beconnected to each other in any suitable configuration, using anysuitable type of connection. The components may be connected directly orover a network 160, which may be any suitable network. For example, oneor more portions of network 160 may be an ad hoc network, an intranet,an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network(LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN(WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, aportion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cellulartelephone network, another type of network, or a combination of two ormore such networks.

Social network system 120 a is a network-addressable computing systemthat can host one or more social graphs. Social networking system 120 acan generate, store, receive, and transmit social networking data.Social network system 120 a can be accessed by the other components ofsystem 100 either directly or via network 160. Game networking system120 b is a network-addressable computing system that can host one ormore online games. Game networking system 120 b can generate, store,receive, and transmit game-related data, such as, for example, gameaccount data, game input, game state data, and game displays. Gamenetworking system 120 b can be accesses by the other components ofsystem 100 either directly or via network 160. Player 101 may use clientsystem 130 to access, send data to, and receive data from social networksystem 120 a and game networking system 120 b. Client system 130 canaccess social networking system 120 or game networking system 120 bdirectly, via network 160, or via a third-party system. As an exampleand not by way of limitation, client system 130 may access gamenetworking system 120 b via social networking system 120 a. Clientsystem 130 can be any suitable computing device, such as a personalcomputer, laptop, cellular phone, smart phone, computing tablet, etc.

Although FIG. 1 illustrates a particular number of players 101, socialnetwork systems 120 a, game networking systems 120 b, client systems130, and networks 160, this disclosure contemplates any suitable numberof players 101, social network systems 120 a, game networking systems120 b, client systems 130, and networks 160. As an example and not byway of limitation, system 100 may include one or more game networkingsystems 120 b and no social networking systems 120 a. As another exampleand not by way of limitation, system 100 may include a system thatcomprises both social networking system 120 a and game networking system120 b. Moreover, although FIG. 1 illustrates a particular arrangement ofplayer 101, social network system 120 a, game networking system 120 b,client system 130, and network 160, this disclosure contemplates anysuitable arrangement of player 101, social network system 120 a, gamenetworking system 120 b, client system 130, and network 160.

The components of system 100 may be connected to each other using anysuitable connections 110. For example, suitable connections 110 includewireline (such as, for example, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or DataOver Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS)), wireless (such as,for example, Wi-Fi or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access(WiMAX)) or optical (such as, for example, Synchronous Optical Network(SONET) or Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH)) connections. Inparticular embodiments, one or more connections 110 each include an adhoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a VPN, a LAN, a WLAN, a WAN, aWWAN, a MAN, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the PSTN, acellular telephone network, or another type of connection, or acombination of two or more such connections. Connections 110 need notnecessarily be the same throughout system 100. One or more firstconnections 110 may differ in one or more respects from one or moresecond connections 110. Although FIG. 1 illustrates particularconnections between player 101, social network system 120 a, gamenetworking system 120 b, client system 130, and network 160, thisdisclosure contemplates any suitable connections between player 101,social network system 120 a, game networking system 120 b, client system130, and network 160. As an example and not by way of limitation, inparticular embodiments, client system 130 may have a direct connectionto social network system 120 a or game networking system 120 b,bypassing network 160.

Online Games and Game Systems

In an online computer game, a game engine manages the game state of thegame. Game state comprises all game play parameters, including playercharacter state, non-player character (NPC) state, in-game object state,game world state (e.g., internal game clocks, game environment), andother game play parameters. Each player 101 controls one or more playercharacters (PCs). The game engine controls all other aspects of thegame, including non-player characters (NPCs), and in-game objects. Thegame engine also manages game state, including player character statefor currently active (online) and inactive (offline) players.

An online game can be hosted by game networking system 120 b, which canbe accessed using any suitable connection with a suitable client system130. A player may have a game account on game networking system 120 b,wherein the game account can contain a variety of information associatedwith the player (e.g., the player's personal information, financialinformation, purchase history, player character state, game state). Insome embodiments, a player may play multiple games on game networkingsystem 120 b, which may maintain a single game account for the playerwith respect to all the games, or multiple individual game accounts foreach game with respect to the player. In some embodiments, gamenetworking system 120 b can assign a unique identifier to each player101 of an online game hosted on game networking system 120 b. Gamenetworking system 120 b can determine that a player 101 is accessing theonline game by reading the user's cookies, which may be appended to HTTPrequests transmitted by client system 130, and/or by the player 101logging onto the online game.

In particular embodiments, player 101 may access an online game andcontrol the game's progress via client system 130 (e.g., by inputtingcommands to the game at the client device). Client system 130 candisplay the game interface, receive inputs from player 101, transmittinguser inputs or other events to the game engine, and receive instructionsfrom the game engine. The game engine can be executed on any suitablesystem (such as, for example, client system 130, social networkingsystem 120 a, or game networking system 120 b). As an example and not byway of limitation, client system 130 can download client components ofan online game, which are executed locally, while a remote game server,such as game networking system 120 b, provides backend support for theclient components and may be responsible for maintaining applicationdata of the game, processing the inputs from the player, updating and/orsynchronizing the game state based on the game logic and each input fromthe player, and transmitting instructions to client system 130. Asanother example and not by way of limitation, each time player 101provides an input to the game through the client system 130 (such as,for example, by typing on the keyboard or clicking the mouse of clientsystem 130), the client components of the game may transmit the player'sinput to game networking system 120 b.

Game Systems, Social Networks, and Social Graphs:

In an online multiplayer game, players may control player characters(PCs), a game engine controls non-player characters (NPCs) and gamefeatures, and the game engine also manages player character state andgame state and tracks the state for currently active (i.e., online)players and currently inactive (i.e., offline) players. A playercharacter can have a set of attributes and a set of friends associatedwith the player character. As used herein, the term “player characterstate” can refer to any in-game characteristic of a player character,such as location, assets, levels, condition, health, status, inventory,skill set, name, orientation, affiliation, specialty, and so on. Playercharacters may be displayed as graphical avatars within a user interfaceof the game. In other implementations, no avatar or other graphicalrepresentation of the player character is displayed. Game stateencompasses the notion of player character state and refers to anyparameter value that characterizes the state of an in-game element, suchas a non-player character, a virtual object (such as a wall or castle),etc. The game engine may use player character state to determine theoutcome of game events, sometimes also considering set or randomvariables. Generally, a player character's probability of having a morefavorable outcome is greater when the player character has a betterstate. For example, a healthier player character is less likely to diein a particular encounter relative to a weaker player character ornon-player character. In some embodiments, the game engine can assign aunique client identifier to each player.

In particular embodiments, player 101 may access particular gameinstances of an online game. A game instance is copy of a specific gameplay area that is created during runtime. In particular embodiments, agame instance is a discrete game play area where one or more players 101can interact in synchronous or asynchronous play. A game instance maybe, for example, a level, zone, area, region, location, virtual space,or other suitable play area. A game instance may be populated by one ormore in-game objects. Each object may be defined within the gameinstance by one or more variables, such as, for example, position,height, width, depth, direction, time, duration, speed, color, and othersuitable variables. A game instance may be exclusive (i.e., accessibleby specific players) or non-exclusive (i.e., accessible by any player).In particular embodiments, a game instance is populated by one or moreplayer characters controlled by one or more players 101 and one or morein-game objects controlled by the game engine. When accessing an onlinegame, the game engine may allow player 101 to select a particular gameinstance to play from a plurality of game instances. Alternatively, thegame engine may automatically select the game instance that player 101will access. In particular embodiments, an online game comprises onlyone game instance that all players 101 of the online game can access.

In particular embodiments, a specific game instance may be associatedwith one or more specific players. A game instance is associated with aspecific player when one or more game parameters of the game instanceare associated with the specific player. As an example and not by way oflimitation, a game instance associated with a first player may be named“First Player's Play Area.” This game instance may be populated with thefirst player's PC and one or more in-game objects associated with thefirst player. In particular embodiments, a game instance associated witha specific player may only be accessible by that specific player. As anexample and not by way of limitation, a first player may access a firstgame instance when playing an online game, and this first game instancemay be inaccessible to all other players. In other embodiments, a gameinstance associated with a specific player may be accessible by one ormore other players, either synchronously or asynchronously with thespecific player's game play. As an example and not by way of limitation,a first player may be associated with a first game instance, but thefirst game instance may be accessed by all first-degree friends in thefirst player's social network. In particular embodiments, the gameengine may create a specific game instance for a specific player whenthat player accesses the game. As an example and not by way oflimitation, the game engine may create a first game instance when afirst player initially accesses an online game, and that same gameinstance may be loaded each time the first player accesses the game. Asanother example and not by way of limitation, the game engine may createa new game instance each time a first player accesses an online game,wherein each game instance may be created randomly or selected from aset of predetermined game instances. In particular embodiments, the setof in-game actions available to a specific player may be different in agame instance that is associated with that player compared to a gameinstance that is not associated with that player. The set of in-gameactions available to a specific player in a game instance associatedwith that player may be a subset, superset, or independent of the set ofin-game actions available to that player in a game instance that is notassociated with him. As an example and not by way of limitation, a firstplayer may be associated with Blackacre Farm in an online farming game.The first player may be able to plant crops on Blackacre Farm. If thefirst player accesses game instance associated with another player, suchas Whiteacre Farm, the game engine may not allow the first player toplant crops in that game instance. However, other in-game actions may beavailable to the first player, such as watering or fertilizing crops onWhiteacre Farm.

In particular embodiments, a game engine can interface with a socialgraph. Social graphs are models of connections between entities (e.g.,individuals, users, contacts, friends, players, player characters,non-player characters, businesses, groups, associations, concepts,etc.). These entities are considered “users” of the social graph; assuch, the terms “entity” and “user” may be used interchangeably whenreferring to social graphs herein. A social graph can have a node foreach entity and edges to represent relationships between entities. Anode in a social graph can represent any entity. In particularembodiments, a unique client identifier can be assigned to each user inthe social graph. This disclosure assumes that at least one entity of asocial graph is a player or player character in an online multiplayergame, though this disclosure any suitable social graph users.

The minimum number of edges required to connect a player (or playercharacter) to another user is considered the degree of separationbetween them. For example, where the player and the user are directlyconnected (one edge), they are deemed to be separated by one degree ofseparation. The user would be a so-called “first-degree friend” of theplayer. Where the player and the user are connected through one otheruser (two edges), they are deemed to be separated by two degrees ofseparation. This user would be a so-called “second-degree friend” of theplayer. Where the player and the user are connected through N edges (orN−1 other users), they are deemed to be separated by N degrees ofseparation. This user would be a so-called “Nth-degree friend.” As usedherein, the term “friend” means only first-degree friends, unlesscontext suggests otherwise.

Within the social graph, each player (or player character) has a socialnetwork. A player's social network includes all users in the socialgraph within N_(max) degrees of the player, where N_(max) is the maximumdegree of separation allowed by the system managing the social graph(such as, for example, social networking system 120 a or game networkingsystem 120 b). In one embodiment, N_(max) equals 1, such that theplayer's social network includes only first-degree friends. In anotherembodiment, N_(max) is unlimited and the player's social network iscoextensive with the social graph.

In particular embodiments, the social graph is managed by gamenetworking system 120 b, which is managed by the game operator. In otherembodiments, the social graph is part of a social networking system 120a managed by a third-party (e.g., Facebook, Friendster, Myspace). In yetother embodiments, player 101 has a social network on both gamenetworking system 120 b and social networking system 120 a, whereinplayer 101 can have a social network on the game networking system 120 bthat is a subset, superset, or independent of the player's socialnetwork on social networking system 120 a. In such combined systems,game network system 120 b can maintain social graph information withedge type attributes that indicate whether a given friend is an “in-gamefriend,” an “out-of-game friend,” or both. The various embodimentsdisclosed herein are operable when the social graph is managed by socialnetworking system 120 a, game networking system 120 b, or both.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a social network within a social graph. Asshown, Player 201 can be associated, connected or linked to variousother users, or “friends,” within the social network 250. Theseassociations, connections or links can track relationships between userswithin the social network 250 and are commonly referred to as online“friends” or “friendships” between users. Each friend or friendship in aparticular user's social network within a social graph is commonlyreferred to as a “node.” For purposes of illustration and not by way oflimitation, the details of social network 250 will be described inrelation to Player 201. As used herein, the terms “player” and “user”can be used interchangeably and can refer to any user or character in anonline multiuser game system or social networking system. As usedherein, the term “friend” can mean any node within a player's socialnetwork.

As shown in FIG. 2, Player 201 has direct connections with severalfriends. When Player 201 has a direct connection with anotherindividual, that connection is referred to as a first-degree friend. Insocial network 250, Player 201 has two first-degree friends. That is,Player 201 is directly connected to Friend 1 ₁ 211 and Friend 2 ₁ 221.In a social graph, it is possible for individuals to be connected toother individuals through their first-degree friends (i.e., friends offriends). As described above, each edge required to connect a player toanother user is considered the degree of separation. For example, FIG. 2shows that Player 201 has three second-degree friends to which he isconnected via his connection to his first-degree friends. Second-degreeFriend 1 ₂ 212 and Friend 2 ₂ 222 are connected to Player 201 via hisfirst-degree Friend 1 ₁ 211. The limit on the depth of friendconnections, or the number of degrees of separation for associations,that Player 201 is allowed is typically dictated by the restrictions andpolicies implemented by social networking system 120 a.

In various embodiments, Player 201 can have Nth-degree friends connectedto him through a chain of intermediary degree friends as indicated inFIG. 2. For example, Nth-degree Friend 1 _(N) 219 is connected to Player201 via second-degree Friend 3 ₂ 232 and one or more other higher-degreefriends. Various embodiments may take advantage of and utilize thedistinction between the various degrees of friendship relative to Player201.

In particular embodiments, a player (or player character) can have asocial graph within an online multiplayer game that is maintained by thegame engine and another social graph maintained by a separate socialnetworking system. FIG. 2 depicts an example of in-game social network260 and out-of-game social network 250. In this example, Player 201 hasout-of-game connections 255 to a plurality of friends, formingout-of-game social network 250. Here, Friend 1 ₁ 211 and Friend 2 ₁ 221are first-degree friends with Player 201 in his out-of-game socialnetwork 250. Player 201 also has in-game connections 265 to a pluralityof players, forming in-game social network 260. Here, Friend 2 ₁ 221,Friend 3 ₁ 231, and Friend 4 ₁ 241 are first-degree friends with Player201 in his in-game social network 260. In some embodiments, it ispossible for a friend to be in both the out-of-game social network 250and the in-game social network 260. Here, Friend 2 ₁ 221 has both anout-of-game connection 255 and an in-game connection 265 with Player201, such that Friend 2 ₁ 221 is in both Player 201's in-game socialnetwork 260 and Player 201's out-of-game social network 250.

As with other social networks, Player 201 can have second-degree andhigher-degree friends in both his in-game and out of game socialnetworks. In some embodiments, it is possible for Player 201 to have afriend connected to him both in his in-game and out-of-game socialnetworks, wherein the friend is at different degrees of separation ineach network. For example, if Friend 2 ₂ 222 had a direct in-gameconnection with Player 201, Friend 2 ₂ 222 would be a second-degreefriend in Player 201's out-of-game social network, but a first-degreefriend in Player 201's in-game social network. In particularembodiments, a game engine can access in-game social network 260,out-of-game social network 250, or both.

In particular embodiments, the connections in a player's in-game socialnetwork can be formed both explicitly (e.g., users must “friend” eachother) and implicitly (e.g., system observes user behaviors and“friends” users to each other). Unless otherwise indicated, reference toa friend connection between two or more players can be interpreted tocover both explicit and implicit connections, using one or more socialgraphs and other factors to infer friend connections. The friendconnections can be unidirectional or bidirectional. It is also not alimitation of this description that two players who are deemed “friends”for the purposes of this disclosure are not friends in real life (i.e.,in disintermediated interactions or the like), but that could be thecase.

Game Systems

A game event may be an outcome of an engagement, a provision of access,rights and/or benefits, or the obtaining of some assets (e.g., health,money, strength, inventory, land, etc.). A game engine determines theoutcome of a game event according to a variety of factors, such as thegame rules, a player character's in-game actions, player characterstate, game state, interactions of other player characters, and randomcalculations. Engagements can include simple tasks (e.g., plant a crop,clean a stove), complex tasks (e.g., build a farm or business, run acafé), or other events.

An online game can be hosted by a game networking system 320, which canbe accessed over any suitable network with an appropriate client system330. A player may have a game system account on game system 320, whereinthe game system account can contain a variety of information about theplayer (e.g., the player's personal information, player character state,game state, etc.). In various embodiments, an online game can beembedded into a third-party website. The game can be hosted by thenetworking system of the third-party website, or it can be hosted ongame system 320 and merely accessed via the third-party website. Theembedded online game can be hosted solely on a server of game system 320or using a third-party vendor server. In addition, any combination ofthe functions of the present disclosure can be hosted on or providedfrom any number of distributed network resources. For example, one ormore executable code objects that implement all or a portion of the gamecan be downloaded to a client system for execution.

Game Interfaces

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a webpage-based game interface for anonline game accessed by a browser client (e.g., Firefox, Chrome,Internet Explorer, etc.). In various embodiments, a user of a clientsystem 130 can use a browser client to access the online game over theInternet (or other suitable network). The game interface 370 illustratedin FIG. 3 may be automatically generated and presented to the user inresponse to the user visiting or accessing the game operator's websiteor a third-party's website from client system 130 with a browser client.Game system 120 b can transmit data to client system 130 allowing it todisplay game interface 370, which is typically some type of graphic userinterface. For example, the webpage downloaded to client system 130 mayinclude an embedded call that causes client system 130 to download anexecutable object, such as a Flash .SWF object, which executes on clientsystem 130 and renders the game within the context of the webpage. Otherinterface types are possible, such as server-side rendering and thelike. Game interface 370 is configured to receive signals from the uservia client system 130. For example, the user can click on game interface370, or enter commands from a keyboard or other suitable input device.The game engine can respond to these signals to allow game play. Thedisplay of game interface 370 can change based on the output of the gameengine, the input of the player, and other signals from game system 120b and client system 130.

The game interface 370 can display various game components, such as thegame environment, options available to the player (e.g., in-gameactions, preferences, settings, etc.), game results, etc. Somecomponents of the game interface may be static, while others may bedynamic (e.g., changing with game play). The user may be able tointeract with some components (e.g., player character, NPCs, virtualobjects, etc.) and not interact with other components (e.g., thebackground of the virtual world, such as the virtual street orsidewalk). The user can engage in specific in-game actions or activitiesby providing input to game interface 370.

In the example online game illustrated in FIG. 3, the user controls avirtual city implemented in an online social game. Game interface 370shows the virtual city and various components of the city. The playercan interact with various elements of the café, such as the virtualbusiness objects 320 and virtual housing objects 330. The user can clickon (or otherwise activate) various aspects of the game interface toprovide instructions to the game engine. For example, by clicking on avirtual business object 320, the user can initiate a harvest mechaniccycle as described in more detail below.

The user can also click on various icons in game interface 370 toactivate various game options. For example, if the user clicks on one ofthe icons in option bar 360, the game engine will alter the gameinterface 370 to present the user with options for buying and sellingvirtual items for use in the virtual city. For example, the player couldbuy or sell virtual furniture, appliances, décor, windows, goods, etc.Similarly, the user can click on other icons in option bar 360 to accessother game options.

One skilled in the art would appreciate that FIG. 3 is presented merelyas an example of an embodiment of one type of online game and that thepresent disclosure is intended to encompass a variety of game types,including gambling games, role-playing games, puzzle games, etc.

Virtual Currency

In various embodiments, players within the game can acquire virtualcurrency. In such games, the virtual currency might be represented byvirtual coins, virtual cash, or by a number or value stored by theserver for that player's benefit. Such virtual currency represents unitsof value for use in the online game system, and is analogous to legalcurrency. Virtual currency can be purchased in one or more actual cashor credit transactions by a player, where the legal currency istransferred using a credit/debit/charge card transaction conveyed over afinancial network. In some embodiments, a player may earn virtualcurrency by taking action in the game. For example, a player may berewarded with one or more units of virtual currency after completing atask, quest, challenge, or mission within the game. For example, afarming game might reward 10 gold coins each time a virtual crop isharvested.

In some embodiments, virtual currency can be used to purchase one ormore in-game assets or other benefits. For example, a player may be ableto exchange virtual currency for a desired level, access, right, or itemin an online game. In one embodiment, legal currency can be used todirectly purchase an in-game asset or other benefit. The player canselect the desired in-game asset or other benefit. Once the necessaryselections are made, the player can place the order to purchase thein-game asset or other benefit. This order is received by the gamesystem 320, which can then process the order. If the order is processedsuccessfully, an appropriate financial account associated with theplayer can be debited by the amount of virtual currency or legalcurrency needed to buy the selected in-game asset or other benefit.

In some embodiments, multiple types of virtual currency may be availablefor purchase from the game system operator. For example, an online gamemay have virtual gold coins and virtual cash. The different types ofvirtual currency may have different exchange rates with respect to legalcurrency and each other. For example, a player may be able to exchange$1 in legal currency for either 100 virtual gold coins or $2 in virtualcash, but virtual gold coins may not be exchanged for virtual cash.Similarly, where in-game assets and other benefits can be purchased withvirtual currency, they may have different exchange rates with respect tothe different types of virtual currency. For example, a player may beable to buy a virtual business object for $10 in virtual cash, but maynot purchase the virtual business object for virtual gold coins alone.In some embodiments, certain types of virtual currency can be acquiredby engaging in various in-game actions while other types of virtualcurrency can only be acquired by exchanging legal currency. For example,a player may be able to acquire virtual gold coins by selling virtualgoods in a business, but can only acquire virtual cash by exchanginglegal currency. In some implementations, virtual cash may also beawarded for leveling up in the game.

Harvest Mechanic

In various embodiments, an online game can include a series ofuser-initiated in-game actions that comprise a harvest mechanic. Theharvest mechanic generally has two components: a set of initiatingactions and a set of collecting (harvesting) actions. In an initiatingaction, a player may “click” or otherwise interact with an element ofthe online game to initiate the harvest mechanic. In some games,multiple clicks or other actions may be necessary to complete theinitiating action. Furthermore, in some implementations, the initiatingactions may require the player to expend resources, such as virtualcurrency, energy, virtual goods or supplies, and the like. For example,a player may have to click on a stove to clean it and click again topurchase and prepare ingredients and initiate cooking virtual food.These operations may cost the player energy and/or virtual currency. Inanother example, a player may have to click on a segment of land to plowit and click again to purchase and plant seeds and initiate growingvirtual crops.

Once the initiating action is complete, the online game may begin aprocessing action, wherein the game state of the element is modified bythe game system during some waiting time period. The time period canrange from seconds to days, depending on the game system. For example,the game system may require an hour for virtual food to get cooked, orit may require three days for a virtual crop to grow. During theprocessing action, the player may be able to cancel the processingaction, thereby resetting the entire harvest mechanic sequence. Duringthe processing action, the player may also be able to interact with theelement. For example, the player could add spice to his virtual foodwhile it is cooking, or the player could add fertilizer to his virtualcrops while they are growing. These interactions may or may not have anin-game effect on the element. In some embodiments, there is noprocessing action or waiting time period, and the collecting action isaccessible immediately after the initiating action is complete. In otherembodiments, the processing action is instantaneous.

After the processing action is complete, the game system can alter thegame state of the in-game asset. At this point, the collecting actionmay be available. In a collecting action, a player may click orotherwise interact with the element to complete the harvest mechaniccycle. For example, a player may have to click on the fully-cookedvirtual food to serve it. In another example, a player may have to clickon fully-grown crops to harvest them. In some games, multiple clicks orother actions may be necessary to complete the collecting action.Completion of the harvest mechanic typically results in a reward, suchas virtual currency, in-game assets or other loot. Some harvestmechanics may also include an explicit penalty for not initiating thecollection action within a threshold period of time. For example, cropsmay wither if not harvested within X hours of completing the processingaction, where X may vary depending on crop type or other considerations.

Once the collecting action is complete, the harvest mechanic may bereset with respect to that game element. In some embodiments, the playermay have to click or otherwise interact with the in-game asset to resetthe harvest mechanic. In other embodiments, the harvest mechanic mayreset automatically once the collecting action is complete. Once theharvest mechanic is reset, the initiating action may be available againfor that game element.

A detailed example of the harvest mechanic follows in connection with anin-game asset representing a business. NPCs may visit the business andmake purchases of items. The business may be a retail store, such as arestaurant or toy shop. The business may be visually represented as anin-game object located within the virtual game instance associated withthe player. FIG. 3 illustrates an example business object 320 located ina game instance of the player. In some implementations, the game logicmay require the player to purchase the business and/or perform a seriesof operations to build the business, which such actions may require theexpenditure of energy and/or some in-game credit or currency. In thismanner, a player may establish a plurality of businesses of the sametype or different types within the game instance of the player.

In one implementation, the harvest mechanic associated with the businessobject 320 may involve three phases. An initiating phase may involve theuser supplying the business with units of virtual goods or supplies. Inone implementation, the minimum number of units required to initiate theharvest mechanic may vary depending on the type of business. The playermay be required to purchase goods units (or replenish an existing supplyof goods units) using virtual currency or other in-game assets orcredits. Each goods unit may require the player to The wait orprocessing phase may involve one or more NPCs (or player charactersseparately) visiting the business to consume the goods of the business.The rate at which goods are consumed can be based on the number orpopulation of NPCs in the game instance of the player. Game logic mayapply a function that considers a variety of attributes to control thepopulation of NPCs, such as the number and size of the housingstructures within the game instance of a player. The processing phaseends and the collection (harvesting) phase begins, when all goods of thebusiness have been consumed. For example, the business object mayinclude a visual identifier that indicates that collection is available.A user may click on the business object to collect virtual currency (orother loot) resulting from completion of the harvest mechanic cycle. Insome implementations, there is no wither or penalty component. In otherimplementations, a penalty can be assessed if a player fails to initiatea collection operation within a threshold period of time. For example, abusiness may be “robbed” or employees may steal from the cash registers.

Supply Chain Harvest Mechanic with Social Fulfillment

In one implementation, the process by which a player acquires goodsunits in order to initiate the harvest mechanic discussed above mayitself also involve a harvest mechanic including an initiation phase, await or processing phase and a collection phase. In the initiationphase, the player may select an amount of goods units to purchase. Thewait or processing phase may involve an elapsed time passing before theplayer is allowed to access the ordered goods units. In the collectionphase, the player acknowledges the supply of goods units and receivesthem into inventory for use in connection with the harvest mechanicdiscussed above, for example. In a particular implementation, the waitor processing phase may include a social component. For example, aplayer may opt to initiate a social fulfillment work flow, according towhich other players are invited to sell goods units or otherwisecontribute to the supply of goods units requested by the player.

In one implementation, the concept of a train carrying supplies providesan apt analogy and an example story line suitable for use in a gameincluding the supply chain harvest mechanic. Other analogies can be usedas well for the games, such as trucks, ships, delivery vans and thelike. FIG. 6 illustrates a graphical user interface that includes atrain station object 802. In response to user activation (e.g., a clickon the train station object 802), the game application may provide atrain schedule interface 804 indicating the time remaining until arrivalof one or more scheduled trains. FIG. 4 illustrates a process flowaccording to one implementation of the invention directed to orderingand scheduling goods units for delivery. The process flow of FIG. 4 maybe initiated when a player clicks on the train station object. When atrain has arrived at the station or there are trains pending (402), thegame application displays the train schedule interface 804 (404). Fromthe train schedule interface 804, a player may view the time that isrequired to elapse before one or more trains arrive (and associatedgoods are available. From this interface, a player may select a trainthat has arrived and receive the goods into inventory. In otherimplementations, a player may click directly on a train object that hasarrived at the station to receive the goods units into inventory. Inaddition, a player may also schedule additional trains, as describedbelow.

As FIG. 4 illustrates, if no trains are in the station or pending, thegame application displays a train scheduling dialog interface (406).FIG. 7 sets forth an example train scheduling interface 852. In theexample illustrated in FIG. 7, the training scheduling interface 852comprises one or more train scheduling option panels 856 a, 856 b. Aplayer may activate scrolling arrows 854 a, 854 b to view and selectadditional scheduling options panels. As FIG. 7 shows, each schedulingoption panel identifies a time required for delivery (which is the waitor processing time in the harvest mechanic), the amount of goods units(e.g., 50 units), and the cost of the goods units (e.g., 100 virtualcoins). Option panels 856 a, 856 b also include destination identifiers858 a, 858 b that indicate whether the corresponding scheduling optionincludes a social fulfillment component. The destination identifier 858a identifies “SamVille,” which (in one implementation) is essentially apseudo game instance associated with a NPC. If this option is selected,the train from the user perspective is sent to the game instance of theNPC for fulfillment of the ordered goods units. Destination identifier858 b includes the text “2 Friends,” indicating that the socialfulfillment option includes sending invitations two other players. Otheroptions may include lesser or fewer friends or contacts. If a playerselects a scheduling option with a social fulfillment component, thegame application will query the user to identify N contacts that are tobe sent an invite, where N equals the under of contacts identified inthe option panel. In one implementation, the game application may accessa list or other data structure of the player's in-game contacts anddisplay the list to the player for selection. In other implementations,the interface may include a text field with look-ahead functions thatscan the list of in-game contacts to suggest auto-completion operations.In some implementations, the game application can programmaticallyselect contacts in lieu of the player. For example, the game applicationmay make random selections from among the in-game contacts of theplayer. In other implementations, the game application may sendnotifications to all in-game contacts of the player.

Referring back to FIG. 4, the game application receives a train scheduleselection from the player (408). If the selection includes a socialcontact fulfillment option (410), the game application dispatches trainrequests to the selected contacts (412). The game application then addsthe newly scheduled train to the train schedule information associatedwith the game instance of the player (414), thereby completing theinitiation phase of the supply chain harvest mechanic. In oneimplementation, the game application adds an entry to a data structureassociated with the game instance of the player that identifies thenumber of goods ordered, a time stamp associated with the order, and anexpiration time. As described below, the game application makes thegoods units available to the player after expiration of the wait time ofthe harvest mechanic, the duration of which is defined by the timeindicator associated with the selected delivery option.

During the wait or processing phase, the game application may sendnotifications (here, “train requests”) to the selected contacts. Thetrain request is an invitation to the selected contact to supply all ora portion of the goods units requested by the player in exchange for anaward of virtual currency (or other in-game credit or asset). FIG. 5illustrates a process flow directed to handling train requests. Aselected contact may not be currently playing the game when the playerinitiates the supply chain harvest mechanic. FIG. 5 illustrates aprocess flow that may be executed when the contact first access the gameapplication. As part of initializing a game instance, the gameapplication may access a message queue to determine whether there areany pending train requests for a player to accept (502). If so, the gameapplication displays a train request dialog interface (504). The gameapplication may filter out the train requests where the correspondingwait time has expired. The train request dialog interface may identifythe player contact associated with the request, the amount of goodsrequested and an award for fulfilling the request. For example, if theplayer accepts the train request (506), the game application mayincrement the virtual coins of the player (508). If there are no moretrain requests to accept (510), the game application enters the gameinstance (512). FIG. 5 illustrates a work flow executed duringinitialization of the game. If the selected contact is currentlyaccessing the game system may send an in-game message to the selectedcontact to initiate a similar work flow.

As discussed above, upon expiration of the wait time, the gameapplication causes the goods units to be made available to the player.In the implementations described above, acceptance of unexpired trainrequests sent to contacts of the player in connection with the socialfulfillment component is not a condition of the player receiving thegoods. In other words, the game application causes the goods units to bemade available to the player upon expiration of waiting time, regardlessof the train scheduling option selected. This is in contrast to a giftrequest that is not fulfilled unless the contact accepts and actuallyfulfills the gift request.

In some implementations, the game application may be configured toprovide certain incentives to the player for selecting a supplyscheduling option that includes a social fulfillment component. Forexample, the options including a social fulfillment component may costless in terms or virtual currency for the same number of goods units. Inother implementations, the wait time can be shorter for the same numberof goods units. In some implementations, the wait time can end as soonas a requested contact of the player accepts the train request. In otherimplementations, the wait time can be decremented by a predefined amountif the contact accepts the train request. In some implementations, thegame application may be configured to provide certain incentives to thecontact for accepting the train request. For example, the contact may beoffered a higher price for the goods units such that the contact profitsfrom the sale. The contact may be offered virtual cash, as opposed tovirtual currency in a dual-currency model, for accepting the trainrequest or a threshold number of train requests. The contact may also beawarded for social behavior, such as accepting train requests in theaggregate, by being awarded loyalty or helpfulness credits and the like.Incentives may induce players to use the social fulfillment componentthereby promoting interaction between players and thereby increasingretention and user activity generally. Furthermore, limiting the socialfulfillment component (and its associated benefits) to players that havemade in-game contacts with other players provides players withincentives to establish in-game contacts (thereby increasing viralfunctions of the game).

Data Flow

FIG. 8 illustrates an example data flow between the components of system500. In particular embodiments, system 500 can include client system530, social networking system 520 a, and game networking system 520 b.The components of system 500 can be connected to each other in anysuitable configuration, using any suitable type of connection. Thecomponents may be connected directly or over any suitable network.Client system 530, social networking system 520 a, and game networkingsystem 520 b can each have one or more corresponding data stores such aslocal data store 535, social data store 545, and game data store 565,respectively. Social networking system 520 a and game networking system520 b can also have one or more servers that can communicate with clientsystem 530 over an appropriate network. Social networking system 520 aand game networking system 520 b can have, for example, one or moreinternet servers for communicating with client system 530 via theInternet. Similarly, social networking system 520 a and game networkingsystem 520 b can have one or more mobile servers for communicating withclient system 530 via a mobile network (e.g., GSM, PCS, Wi-Fi, WPAN,etc.). In some embodiments, one server may be able to communicate withclient system 530 over both the Internet and a mobile network. In otherembodiments, separate servers can be used.

Client system 530 can receive and transmit data 523 to and from gamenetworking system 520 b. This data can include, for example, webpages,messages, game inputs, game displays, HTTP packets, data requests,transaction information, updates, and other suitable data. At some othertime, or at the same time, game networking system 520 b can communicatedata 543, 547 (e.g., game state information, game system accountinformation, page info, messages, data requests, updates, etc.) withother networking systems, such as social networking system 520 a (e.g.,Facebook, Myspace, etc.). Client system 530 can also receive andtransmit data 527 to and from social networking system 520 a. This datacan include, for example, webpages, messages, social graph information,social network displays, HTTP packets, data requests, transactioninformation, updates, and other suitable data.

Communication between client system 530, social networking system 520 a,and game networking system 520 b can occur over any appropriateelectronic communication medium or network using any suitablecommunications protocols. For example, client system 530, as well asvarious servers of the systems described herein, may include TransportControl Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) networking stacks to providefor datagram and transport functions. Of course, any other suitablenetwork and transport layer protocols can be utilized.

In addition, hosts or end-systems described herein may use a variety ofhigher layer communications protocols, including client-server (orrequest-response) protocols, such as the HyperText Transfer Protocol(HTTP) and other communications protocols, such as HTTP-S, FTP, SNMP,TELNET, and a number of other protocols, may be used. In addition, aserver in one interaction context may be a client in another interactioncontext. In particular embodiments, the information transmitted betweenhosts may be formatted as HyperText Markup Language (HTML) documents.Other structured document languages or formats can be used, such as XML,and the like. Executable code objects, such as JavaScript andActionScript, can also be embedded in the structured documents.

In some client-server protocols, such as the use of HTML over HTTP, aserver generally transmits a response to a request from a client. Theresponse may comprise one or more data objects. For example, theresponse may comprise a first data object, followed by subsequentlytransmitted data objects. In particular embodiments, a client requestmay cause a server to respond with a first data object, such as an HTMLpage, which itself refers to other data objects. A client application,such as a browser, will request these additional data objects as itparses or otherwise processes the first data object.

In particular embodiments, an instance of an online game can be storedas a set of game state parameters that characterize the state of variousin-game objects, such as, for example, player character stateparameters, non-player character parameters, and virtual itemparameters. In particular embodiments, game state is maintained in adatabase as a serialized, unstructured string of text data as aso-called Binary Large Object (BLOB). When a player accesses an onlinegame on game networking system 520 b, the BLOB containing the game statefor the instance corresponding to the player can be transmitted toclient system 530 for use by a client-side executed object to process.In particular embodiments, the client-side executable may be aFLASH-based game, which can de-serialize the game state data in theBLOB. As a player plays the game, the game logic implemented at clientsystem 530 maintains and modifies the various game state parameterslocally. The client-side game logic may also batch game events, such asmouse clicks, and transmit these events to game networking system 520 b.Game networking system 520 b may itself operate by retrieving a copy ofthe BLOB from a database or an intermediate memory cache (memcache)layer. Game networking system 520 b can also de-serialize the BLOB toresolve the game state parameters and execute its own game logic basedon the events in the batch file of events transmitted by the client tosynchronize the game state on the server side. Game networking system520 b may then re-serialize the game state, now modified, into a BLOBand pass this to a memory cache layer for lazy updates to a persistentdatabase.

With a client-server environment in which the online games may run, oneserver system, such as game networking system 520 b, may supportmultiple client systems 530. At any given time, there may be multipleplayers at multiple client systems 530 all playing the same online game.In practice, the number of players playing the same game at the sametime may be very large. As the game progresses with each player,multiple players may provide different inputs to the online game attheir respective client systems 530, and multiple client systems 530 maytransmit multiple player inputs and/or game events to game networkingsystem 520 b for further processing. In addition, multiple clientsystems 530 may transmit other types of application data to gamenetworking system 520 b.

In particular embodiments, a computed-implemented game may be atext-based or turn-based game implemented as a series of web pages thatare generated after a player selects one or more actions to perform. Theweb pages may be displayed in a browser client executed on client system530. As an example and not by way of limitation, a client applicationdownloaded to client system 530 may operate to serve a set of webpagesto a player. As another example and not by way of limitation, acomputer-implemented game may be an animated or rendered game executableas a stand-alone application or within the context of a webpage or otherstructured document. In particular embodiments, the computer-implementedgame may be implemented using Adobe Flash-based technologies. As anexample and not by way of limitation, a game may be fully or partiallyimplemented as a SWF object that is embedded in a web page andexecutable by a Flash media player plug-in. In particular embodiments,one or more described webpages may be associated with or accessed bysocial networking system 520 a. This disclosure contemplates using anysuitable application for the retrieval and rendering of structureddocuments hosted by any suitable network-addressable resource orwebsite.

Application event data of a game is any data relevant to the game (e.g.,player inputs). In particular embodiments, each application datum mayhave a name and a value, and the value of the application datum maychange (i.e., be updated) at any time. When an update to an applicationdatum occurs at client system 530, either caused by an action of a gameplayer or by the game logic itself, client system 530 may need to informgame networking system 520 b of the update. For example, if the game isa farming game with a harvest mechanic (such as Zynga FarmVille), anevent can correspond to a player clicking on a parcel of land to harvesta crop. In such an instance, the application event data may identify anevent or action (e.g., harvest) and an object in the game to which theevent or action applies. For illustration purposes and not by way oflimitation, system 500 is discussed in reference to updating amulti-player online game hosted on a network-addressable system (suchas, for example, social networking system 520 a or game networkingsystem 520 b), where an instance of the online game is executed remotelyon a client system 530, which then transmits application event data tothe hosting system such that the remote game server synchronizes gamestate associated with the instance executed by the client system 530.

In particular embodiment, one or more objects of a game may berepresented as an Adobe Flash object. Flash may manipulate vector andraster graphics, and supports bidirectional streaming of audio andvideo. “Flash” may mean the authoring environment, the player, or theapplication files. In particular embodiments, client system 530 mayinclude a Flash client. The Flash client may be configured to receiveand run Flash application or game object code from any suitablenetworking system (such as, for example, social networking system 520 aor game networking system 520 b). In particular embodiments, the Flashclient may be run in a browser client executed on client system 530. Aplayer can interact with Flash objects using client system 530 and theFlash client. The Flash objects can represent a variety of in-gameobjects. Thus, the player may perform various in-game actions on variousin-game objects by make various changes and updates to the associatedFlash objects. In particular embodiments, in-game actions can beinitiated by clicking or similarly interacting with a Flash object thatrepresents a particular in-game object. For example, a player caninteract with a Flash object to use, move, rotate, delete, attack,shoot, or harvest an in-game object. This disclosure contemplatesperforming any suitable in-game action by interacting with any suitableFlash object. In particular embodiments, when the player makes a changeto a Flash object representing an in-game object, the client-executedgame logic may update one or more game state parameters associated withthe in-game object. To ensure synchronization between the Flash objectshown to the player at client system 530, the Flash client may send theevents that caused the game state changes to the in-game object to gamenetworking system 520 b. However, to expedite the processing and hencethe speed of the overall gaming experience, the Flash client may collecta batch of some number of events or updates into a batch file. Thenumber of events or updates may be determined by the Flash clientdynamically or determined by game networking system 520 b based onserver loads or other factors. For example, client system 530 may send abatch file to game networking system 520 b whenever 50 updates have beencollected or after a threshold period of time, such as every minute.

As used herein, the term “application event data” may refer to any datarelevant to a computer-implemented game application that may affect oneor more game state parameters, including, for example and withoutlimitation, changes to player data or metadata, changes to player socialconnections or contacts, player inputs to the game, and events generatedby the game logic. In particular embodiments, each application datum mayhave a name and a value. The value of an application datum may change atany time in response to the game play of a player or in response to thegame engine (e.g., based on the game logic). In particular embodiments,an application data update occurs when the value of a specificapplication datum is changed. In particular embodiments, eachapplication event datum may include an action or event name and a value(such as an object identifier). Thus, each application datum may berepresented as a name-value pair in the batch file. The batch file mayinclude a collection of name-value pairs representing the applicationdata that have been updated at client system 530. In particularembodiments, the batch file may be a text file and the name-value pairsmay be in string format.

In particular embodiments, when a player plays an online game on clientsystem 530, game networking system 520 b may serialize all thegame-related data, including, for example and without limitation, gamestates, game events, user inputs, for this particular user and thisparticular game into a BLOB and stores the BLOB in a database. The BLOBmay be associated with an identifier that indicates that the BLOBcontains the serialized game-related data for a particular player and aparticular online game. In particular embodiments, while a player is notplaying the online game, the corresponding BLOB may be stored in thedatabase. This enables a player to stop playing the game at any timewithout losing the current state of the game the player is in. When aplayer resumes playing the game next time, game networking system 520 bmay retrieve the corresponding BLOB from the database to determine themost-recent values of the game-related data. In particular embodiments,while a player is playing the online game, game networking system 520 bmay also load the corresponding BLOB into a memory cache so that thegame system may have faster access to the BLOB and the game-related datacontained therein.

Systems and Methods

In particular embodiments, one or more described webpages may beassociated with a networking system or networking service. However,alternate embodiments may have application to the retrieval andrendering of structured documents hosted by any type of networkaddressable resource or web site. Additionally, as used herein, a usermay be an individual, a group, or an entity (such as a business or thirdparty application).

Particular embodiments may operate in a wide area network environment,such as the Internet, including multiple network addressable systems.FIG. 9 illustrates an example network environment, in which variousexample embodiments may operate. Network cloud 660 generally representsone or more interconnected networks, over which the systems and hostsdescribed herein can communicate. Network cloud 660 may includepacket-based wide area networks (such as the Internet), privatenetworks, wireless networks, satellite networks, cellular networks,paging networks, and the like. As FIG. 9 illustrates, particularembodiments may operate in a network environment comprising one or morenetworking systems, such as social networking system 620 a, gamenetworking system 620 b, and one or more client systems 630. Thecomponents of social networking system 620 a and game networking system620 b operate analogously; as such, hereinafter they may be referred tosimply at networking system 620. Client systems 630 are operablyconnected to the network environment via a network service provider, awireless carrier, or any other suitable means.

Networking system 620 is a network addressable system that, in variousexample embodiments, comprises one or more physical servers 622 and datastores 624. The one or more physical servers 622 are operably connectedto computer network 660 via, by way of example, a set of routers and/ornetworking switches 626. In an example embodiment, the functionalityhosted by the one or more physical servers 122 may include web or HTTPservers, FTP servers, as well as, without limitation, webpages andapplications implemented using Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script,PHP Hyper-text Preprocessor (PHP), Active Server Pages (ASP), Hyper TextMarkup Language (HTML), Extensible Markup Language (XML), Java,JavaScript, Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX), Flash, ActionScript,and the like.

Physical servers 622 may host functionality directed to the operationsof networking system 620. Hereinafter servers 622 may be referred to asserver 622, although server 622 may include numerous servers hosting,for example, networking system 620, as well as other contentdistribution servers, data stores, and databases. Data store 624 maystore content and data relating to, and enabling, operation ofnetworking system 620 as digital data objects. A data object, inparticular embodiments, is an item of digital information typicallystored or embodied in a data file, database, or record. Content objectsmay take many forms, including: text (e.g., ASCII, SGML, HTML), images(e.g., jpeg, tif and gif), graphics (vector-based or bitmap), audio,video (e.g., mpeg), or other multimedia, and combinations thereof.Content object data may also include executable code objects (e.g.,games executable within a browser window or frame), podcasts, etc.Logically, data store 624 corresponds to one or more of a variety ofseparate and integrated databases, such as relational databases andobject-oriented databases, that maintain information as an integratedcollection of logically related records or files stored on one or morephysical systems. Structurally, data store 624 may generally include oneor more of a large class of data storage and management systems. Inparticular embodiments, data store 624 may be implemented by anysuitable physical system(s) including components, such as one or moredatabase servers, mass storage media, media library systems, storagearea networks, data storage clouds, and the like. In one exampleembodiment, data store 624 includes one or more servers, databases(e.g., MySQL), and/or data warehouses. Data store 624 may include dataassociated with different networking system 620 users and/or clientsystems 630.

Client system 630 is generally a computer or computing device includingfunctionality for communicating (e.g., remotely) over a computernetwork. Client system 630 may be a desktop computer, laptop computer,personal digital assistant (PDA), in- or out-of-car navigation system,smart phone or other cellular or mobile phone, or mobile gaming device,among other suitable computing devices. Client system 630 may executeone or more client applications, such as a web browser (e.g., MicrosoftInternet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Google Chrome, andOpera), to access and view content over a computer network. Inparticular embodiments, the client applications allow a user of clientsystem 630 to enter addresses of specific network resources to beretrieved, such as resources hosted by networking system 620. Theseaddresses can be Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) and the like. Inaddition, once a page or other resource has been retrieved, the clientapplications may provide access to other pages or records when the user“clicks” on hyperlinks to other resources. By way of example, suchhyperlinks may be located within the webpages and provide an automatedway for the user to enter the URL of another page and to retrieve thatpage.

A webpage or resource embedded within a webpage, which may itselfinclude multiple embedded resources, may include data records, such asplain textual information, or more complex digitally encoded multimediacontent, such as software programs or other code objects, graphics,images, audio signals, videos, and so forth. One prevalent markuplanguage for creating webpages is the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML).Other common web browser-supported languages and technologies includethe Extensible Markup Language (XML), the Extensible Hypertext MarkupLanguage (XHTML), JavaScript, Flash, ActionScript, Cascading Style Sheet(CSS), and, frequently, Java. By way of example, HTML enables a pagedeveloper to create a structured document by denoting structuralsemantics for text and links, as well as images, web applications, andother objects that can be embedded within the page. Generally, a webpagemay be delivered to a client as a static document; however, through theuse of web elements embedded in the page, an interactive experience maybe achieved with the page or a sequence of pages. During a user sessionat the client, the web browser interprets and displays the pages andassociated resources received or retrieved from the website hosting thepage, as well as, potentially, resources from other websites.

When a user at a client system 630 desires to view a particular webpage(hereinafter also referred to as target structured document) hosted bynetworking system 620, the user's web browser, or other documentrendering engine or suitable client application, formulates andtransmits a request to networking system 620. The request generallyincludes a URL or other document identifier as well as metadata or otherinformation. By way of example, the request may include informationidentifying the user, such as a user ID, as well as informationidentifying or characterizing the web browser or operating systemrunning on the user's client computing device 630. The request may alsoinclude location information identifying a geographic location of theuser's client system or a logical network location of the user's clientsystem. The request may also include a timestamp identifying when therequest was transmitted.

Although the example network environment described above and illustratedin FIG. 6 described with respect to social networking system 620 a andgame networking system 620 b, this disclosure encompasses any suitablenetwork environment using any suitable systems. As an example and not byway of limitation, the network environment may include online mediasystems, online reviewing systems, online search engines, onlineadvertising systems, or any combination of two or more such systems.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example computing system architecture, which maybe used to implement a server 622 or a client system 630. In oneembodiment, hardware system 700 comprises a processor 702, a cachememory 704, and one or more executable modules and drivers, stored on atangible computer readable medium, directed to the functions describedherein. Additionally, hardware system 700 may include a high performanceinput/output (I/O) bus 706 and a standard I/O bus 708. A host bridge 710may couple processor 702 to high performance I/O bus 706, whereas I/Obus bridge 712 couples the two buses 706 and 708 to each other. A systemmemory 714 and one or more network/communication interfaces 716 maycouple to bus 706. Hardware system 700 may further include video memory(not shown) and a display device coupled to the video memory. Massstorage 718 and I/O ports 720 may couple to bus 708. Hardware system 700may optionally include a keyboard, a pointing device, and a displaydevice (not shown) coupled to bus 708. Collectively, these elements areintended to represent a broad category of computer hardware systems,including but not limited to general purpose computer systems based onthe x86-compatible processors manufactured by Intel Corporation of SantaClara, Calif., and the x86-compatible processors manufactured byAdvanced Micro Devices (AMD), Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., as well as anyother suitable processor.

The elements of hardware system 700 are described in greater detailbelow. In particular, network interface 716 provides communicationbetween hardware system 700 and any of a wide range of networks, such asan Ethernet (e.g., IEEE 802.3) network, a backplane, etc. Mass storage718 provides permanent storage for the data and programming instructionsto perform the above-described functions implemented in servers 422,whereas system memory 714 (e.g., DRAM) provides temporary storage forthe data and programming instructions when executed by processor 702.I/O ports 720 are one or more serial and/or parallel communication portsthat provide communication between additional peripheral devices, whichmay be coupled to hardware system 700.

Hardware system 700 may include a variety of system architectures andvarious components of hardware system 700 may be rearranged. Forexample, cache 704 may be on-chip with processor 702. Alternatively,cache 704 and processor 702 may be packed together as a “processormodule,” with processor 702 being referred to as the “processor core.”Furthermore, certain embodiments of the present disclosure may notrequire nor include all of the above components. For example, theperipheral devices shown coupled to standard I/O bus 708 may couple tohigh performance I/O bus 706. In addition, in some embodiments, only asingle bus may exist, with the components of hardware system 700 beingcoupled to the single bus. Furthermore, hardware system 700 may includeadditional components, such as additional processors, storage devices,or memories.

An operating system manages and controls the operation of hardwaresystem 700, including the input and output of data to and from softwareapplications (not shown). The operating system provides an interfacebetween the software applications being executed on the system and thehardware components of the system. Any suitable operating system may beused, such as the LINUX Operating System, the Apple Macintosh OperatingSystem, available from Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., UNIXoperating systems, Microsoft® Windows® operating systems, BSD operatingsystems, and the like. Of course, other embodiments are possible. Forexample, the functions described herein may be implemented in firmwareor on an application-specific integrated circuit.

Furthermore, the above-described elements and operations can becomprised of instructions that are stored on non-transitory storagemedia. The instructions can be retrieved and executed by a processingsystem. Some examples of instructions are software, program code, andfirmware. Some examples of non-transitory storage media are memorydevices, tape, disks, integrated circuits, and servers. The instructionsare operational when executed by the processing system to direct theprocessing system to operate in accord with the disclosure. The term“processing system” refers to a single processing device or a group ofinter-operational processing devices. Some examples of processingdevices are integrated circuits and logic circuitry. Those skilled inthe art are familiar with instructions, computers, and storage media.

Miscellaneous

One or more features from any embodiment may be combined with one ormore features of any other embodiment without departing from the scopeof the disclosure.

A recitation of “a”, “an,” or “the” is intended to mean “one or more”unless specifically indicated to the contrary. In addition, it is to beunderstood that functional operations, such as “awarding”, “locating”,“permitting” and the like, are executed by game application logic thataccesses, and/or causes changes to, various data attribute valuesmaintained in a database or other memory.

The present disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions,variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodimentsherein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend.Similarly, where appropriate, the appended claims encompass all changes,substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the exampleembodiments herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art wouldcomprehend.

For example, the methods, game features and game mechanics describedherein may be implemented using hardware components, softwarecomponents, and/or any combination thereof. By way of example, whileembodiments of the present disclosure have been described as operatingin connection with a networking website, various embodiments of thepresent disclosure can be used in connection with any communicationsfacility that supports web applications. Furthermore, in someembodiments the term “web service” and “website” may be usedinterchangeably and additionally may refer to a custom or generalizedAPI on a device, such as a mobile device (e.g., cellular phone, smartphone, personal GPS, personal digital assistance, personal gamingdevice, etc.), that makes API calls directly to a server. Still further,while the embodiments described above operate with business-relatedvirtual objects (such as stores and restaurants), the invention can beapplied to any in-game asset around which a harvest mechanic isimplemented, such as a virtual stove, a plot of land, and the like. Thespecification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, beevident that various modifications and changes may be made thereuntowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure asset forth in the claims and that the disclosure is intended to cover allmodifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims.

1. A method, comprising: receiving, by a computing device, a supplyorder from a first player of a computer-implemented game, wherein thesupply order identifies a requested in-game asset, an expiration timeand a social fulfillment component, and wherein the in-game asset is asupply asset used to initiate a harvest mechanic cycle in thecomputer-implemented game; responsive to receiving the supply order fromthe first player, dispatching, by the computing device, one or moresupply fulfillment invitations to one or more second players based onthe social fulfillment component of the supply order; and after theexpiration time, allowing, by the computing device, the first player toaccess the requested in-game asset without regard to receiving responsesto the one or more supply fulfillment invitations from the one or moresecond players.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: receivingacceptance of the one or more supply fulfillment invitations from atleast one of the one or more second players prior to the expirationtime; and responsive to the acceptance, providing, by the computingdevice, an in-game benefit to the at least one of the one or more secondplayers.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more second playersare selected by the first player.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein theone or more second players are limited to in-game contacts of the firstplayer.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more second playersare randomly selected by game logic of the computing device.
 6. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising providing an incentive to the firstplayer to initiate the supply order with the social fulfillmentcomponent.
 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing anincentive to the one or more second players to accept at least one ofthe one or more supply fulfillment invitations.
 8. A non-transitory,computer readable medium comprising instructions operative, whenexecuted, to cause one or more processors to: receive a supply orderfrom a first player of a computer-implemented game, wherein the supplyorder identifies a requested in-game asset, an expiration time and asocial fulfillment component, and wherein the in-game asset is a supplyasset used to initiate a harvest mechanic cycle in thecomputer-implemented game; responsive to receiving the supply order fromthe first player, dispatch one or more supply fulfillment invitations toone or more second players based on the social fulfillment component ofthe supply order; and after the expiration time, allow the first playerto access the requested in-game asset without regard to receivingresponses to the one or more supply fulfillment invitations from the oneor more second players.
 9. The computer readable medium of claim 8further comprising instructions operative to cause the one or moreprocessors to: receive acceptance of the one or more supply fulfillmentinvitations from at least one of the one or more second players prior tothe expiration time; and responsive to the acceptance, provide anin-game benefit to the at least one of the one or more second players.10. The computer readable medium of claim 8 wherein the one or moresecond players are selected by the first player.
 11. The computerreadable medium of claim 10 wherein the one or more second players arelimited to in-game contacts of the first player.
 12. The computerreadable medium of claim 8 wherein the one or more second players arerandomly selected by game logic of the instructions executed by the oneor more processors.
 13. The computer readable medium of claim 8 furthercomprising instructions operative to cause the one or more processorsto: provide an incentive to the first player to initiate the supplyorder with the social fulfillment component.
 14. The computer readablemedium of claim 8 further comprising instructions operative to cause theone or more processors to: provide an incentive to the one or moresecond players to accept at least one of the one or more supplyfulfillment invitations.
 15. A method, comprising: receiving, by acomputing device, a supply order from a first player of acomputer-implemented game, wherein the supply order identifies arequested amount of in-game virtual goods units, an expiration time anda social fulfillment component, and wherein the in-game virtual goodsunits are a requirement to initiation of a harvest mechanic implementedwithin the computer-implemented game; responsive to receiving the supplyorder from the first player, dispatching, by the computing device, oneor more supply fulfillment invitations to one or more second playersbased on the social fulfillment component of the supply order; and afterthe expiration time, incrementing, by the computing device, a virtualgoods unit value of the first player by the requested amount of in-gamevirtual goods units without regard to receiving responses to the supplyfulfillment invitations from the one or more second players.
 16. Themethod of claim 15 further comprising responsive to inputs of the firstplayer, initiating a cycle of the harvest mechanic and decrementing thevirtual goods unit value by a determined amount of virtual good units.17. The method of claim 15 further comprising receiving acceptance ofthe one or more supply fulfillment invitations from at least one of theone or more second players prior to the expiration time; and responsiveto the acceptance, providing, by the computing device, an in-gamebenefit to the at least one of the one or more second players.
 18. Themethod of 15 wherein the one or more second players are selected by thefirst player.